40kg of Plastic Waste Found in Stomach of Whale That Died From Starvation

Plastic and non-biodegradable waste is considered one of the biggest threats to marine life because they can unknowingly consume them. This recent case, however, highlights just how terrible the consequences of improperly disposing plastic waste can be. 

Just recently, a whale was found dead after being washed ashore in the Philippines, said activists on Monday (March 18), according to AsiaOne. 

Source: facebook

The whale, which is a Cuvier’s beaked whale, reportedly died on Saturday (March 16) in the southern province of Compostela Valley in the Philippines where it was found stranded a day before.

After conducting a necropsy, approximately 40kg of plastic waste was found in the animal’s stomach. This includes 16 rice sacks, 4 banana plantation bags, and multiple shopping bags, according to a Facebook post.

Source: facebook

Source: facebook

The marine animal died of starvation due to its stomach being full of plastic waste, according to Darrell Blatchley, director of D’ Bone Collector Museum Inc, who helped with conducting the examination. He was quoted as saying,

“It’s very disgusting and heartbreaking. We’ve done necropsies on 61 dolphins and whales in the past 10 years and this is one of the biggest (amounts of plastic) we’ve seen.”

Source: facebook

Environmental groups have listed the Philippines as one of the world’s biggest ocean polluters due to its reliance on single-use plastics. Although the country has strict laws on garbage disposal, it is poorly implemented, according to environmentalists.

Source: facebook

This is so sad. 🙁 We should do more to take better care of our environment and protect the wildlife around us!

Also read: Dead Sperm Whale Washes Up the Shore, 6kg of Plastic Waste Found Inside Its Stomach